What 5G Means For Your Business

After years of unfulfilled promises of new possibilities, postponed launches, delayed implementations and even wacky conspiracy rumors surrounding it, the time for full-fledged 5G is finally here. Hello there, and welcome back to our weekly blog post, where today we’ll be discussing the potential impact that 5G networks will have on businesses, for better or worse. To get things started, however, let’s talk about what 5G is and why it’s such a game-changer for current and future mobile technology.

Mind the Gaps

This sudden wave of innovation will undoubtedly lead to a period of careful adaptation for businesses, especially for those that rely on air-tight security for their day-to-day operations. You see, new types of devices also mean new types of security measures, which in turn means that every “outdated” device now represents a risk of vulnerability for your network. Anything capable of connecting to a wireless network, now needs to be managed, and treated, as an endpoint, which will probably change the principles of IT current management. This does not mean, however, that 5G is inherently a dangerous technology, but rather, that it will create some important and unexpected gaps for businesses in terms of budget and security during this adoption period. It also means that, now more than ever, keeping track of your mobile device inventory will be a crucial step towards ensuring both productivity and security for your company. Any device older than 2 years should be taken care of first, and after that, you’ll need to check which devices are currently eligible for upgrades, and which will soon be as well.

Tools For the Future

We’ve talked plenty about Mobile Device Management in our blog, but that’s only because we’re big fans of doing complicated things, simple. MDM is all about having oversight of your company’s device inventory, and as such, is one of the most valuable tools you can rely on during the early days of 5G. MDM can help you to find, separate and classify devices based on their enrollment date to help you plan your budget with accuracy, it can also help you enforce necessary security updates to keep risks to a minimum. Furthermore, you can complement MDM with A.I-assisted tools (like Expertel iQ *wink wink*) to have absolute control over everything wireless. When paired together, MDM and Expertel iQ give you the power and insight to manage all of your company-owned devices without the hassle of going through mountains of paperwork or diverting your IT department’s focus to deal with time-consuming tasks. Even beyond us selling our top-quality services and programs, having these kinds of digital tools at your disposal to help you manage this transition is a must-have if you’re trying to ensure a tidy adaptation to 5G for your business.

Industrial Applications

The new advantages brought on by 5G technology will also encompass industrial sectors. Such a high level of connectivity will allow cities to “speak” with public devices and machines, paving the way for smart cities to blossom. Although the technology is still in its early stages, we can speculate about many social-centered technologies already in the pipeline, such as real-time automated traffic management, smart roads, autonomous driving and improved GPS navigation for commercial fleets. The adoption to 5G has also been boosted by allowing wired connections, which not only permit an easier transition, but also provide a stable network for bandwidth-hungry applications. In fact, predictions estimate that there will be about 1.9 billion 5G subscriptions worldwide by the year 2024. Of course, many, or most, of these subscriptions will be done by companies looking to make the most of 5G’s lightning-fast data transfer speeds to get ahead of their competitors from an early stage.

The Future Comes with A Price

All this talk of new opportunities and innovations are most definitely exciting, but we can’t talk about all of 5G’s advantages without addressing one of the main downsides. Saying that 5G adaptation will be costly for businesses is an understatement. New technology is already expensive as it is, but in this case, it’s even more expensive because we’re not talking about software updates, but rather a complete overhaul of company-owned devices. Although 5G has been in the works for years now, most of the 5G-enabled devices are just starting to become mainstream, which means that, unless you’ve been gradually implementing it, you’ll have to prepare your budget for quite a hit. Routers, cell phones, laptops and every other device your company relies on to get work done will have to be upgraded to support 5G. Furthermore, if you’re aiming for a more gradual approach, you’ll also have to make sure every new contract negotiation includes 5G service, which, depending on your carrier, can elevate your costs even more. Planning ahead, as we’ve said before, is key to seamless adaptation, so, if you haven’t started to blueprint your 5G strategy, with a smart way to confidently manage existing assets, roll out new programs, and find savings, even within a more complex technology environment, this is the time to do so.

The Goal Can Be Reached

Despite all this talk about high costs and budget planning, 5G adaptation is not necessarily a death sentence for your bottom line. There are many ways to reduce the cost of that initial investment, such as buyback programs. There’s a couple of reasons why this option makes sense. First and foremost, you’re recouping some of your past investment by getting rid of your “old” (read: older than 2 years) cell phones, which means you’re able to offset the cost of your transition to 5G equipment without digging much into your regular budget. Another great reason to choose buyback programs is environmental responsibility. With so many companies currently making the switch towards 5G devices, it’s only a matter of time before electronic device disposal becomes an environmental issue, especially at a time when companies are expected to be conscious of their carbon footprint. At Expertel we firmly believe that technological progress cannot be an excuse to neglect the commitment to our planet!That’s pretty much all we have for this entry, but if you’re interested in making the switch to 5G at your company, there are many ways in which Expertel can help your business. To find out how, get in touch with us by following this link to our contact page. We hope you found some useful information in today’s post, and we’ll see you in next week’s entry!